Malibu wants to crack down on paparazzi

May 9, 2008 8:29:08 AM PDT

By Leanne Suter

MALIBU --

Fed up with the paparazzi, one local city is getting ready to take action.Malibu wants Ken Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, to help design restrictions for the relentless celebrity photographers.

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The Malibu Country Mart is becoming a very popular spot for the paparazzi as they track down stars as they're shopping.

Malibu is hoping Starr can help crack down on the pesky photographers. Starr is currently the dean of Pepperdine University's law school.

Many businesses and restaurants in Malibu say the aggressive photographers are out of control, blocking store entrances and pushing bystanders aside.

The city has asked Starr to convene a group of experts to look into drafting a city ordinance that may contain so-called buffer zones to keep photographers at bay, and they also want him to consider a possible tax on the paparazzi.

But the question is whether that is even legal.

Opponents say existing laws are sufficient enough to handle the problem with the paparazzi.

If Malibu does adopt some sort of ordinance, it can almost certainly expect a legal challenge from the paparazzi.